1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates generally to battery powered devices and, more particularly, it relates to multimode battery charger circuitry for use in such devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Battery-powered electronic devices, such as smart phones, tablet computing devices and laptop computers, typically include a power management unit (PMU) having a battery charger for charging an internal battery. In general, there are two principal types of battery charger designs, switching (or switch) chargers and linear chargers. Each type may utilize a variety of topologies, especially in complex mobile and tablet devices with Charge and Play (CnP) or similar options.
In such systems, the battery charger is designed to operate as either a switching charger or a linear charger, and the complex current and voltage control blocks used in one charger type typically will not work in a different type. Further, changes in a system's requirements often require a new battery charger design. For example, if a system requires additional power, external (to an integrated circuit) power transistors may become necessary, thereby requiring design modifications to the battery charger architecture.